Designing for a revolutionary new platform may seem daunting at first, but it’s actually quite simple as Melody Adhami explains. First off Plastic Mobile sees Apple Watch apps falling into two basic categories:

Companion apps: These apps relay notifications and other information from your smartphone.

Utility apps: These allow users to engage with the interface and complete a basic tasks. These apps are structured to provide standalone experiences apart from the smartphone apps.

Melody continued by clarifying the importance of broadening one’s digital offerings, for Pizza Pizza and Realtor.ca. “This is part of their offering, to be innovative, to be cutting edge,” she says. “They want to be first to market.”

Although Apple Watch is considered to be an extension of the smartphone, Melody reminds us that it has a unique set of opportunities and features “smart watch apps will have to keep functionality as simple as possible”. Looking at extending the functionality of the smartwatch Melody talked about what users may be willing to do with the device. “Buying and selling stocks off their watch, I don’t think so. But ordering a pizza? Sure!”

It seems straightforward, but Melody stresses that when entering the Apple Watch sphere brands must, “Think about what value you’re really able to offer on a person’s wrist and why that’s different from what you’re already doing. Not every task will be suitable for a form factor that’s measured in millimetres and strapped to a wrist.”